DHHS also has a Jan. 10 submission date for an incentive program around birth health care. The “Race to the Date” initiative aims to have hospitals throughout the state designated as “baby friendly.”

To achieve the designation, hospitals should be feeding infants with breast milk unless, after giving birth and being offered assistance, the mother indicates she has no plans to breast-feed.

Hospitals that submit a letter of intent to DHHS by Jan. 10 and achieve the designation from Baby-Friendly USA by Sept. 30 will be eligible for prize money. DHHS established a $1 million pool to pay hospitals that achieve the designation. Each hospital could receive a maximum of $200,000.